Bill Cotterell: Scott's budget looks a bit like a campaign

6:49 PM,
Feb. 6, 2013

Bill Cotterell

Written by

Bill Cotterell
Florida Voices

Gov. Rick Scott's announcement of a record $74.2 billion state budget plan had the unmistakeable air of a re-election campaign rally last week.

That's not his fault.

Governors always make a big splash with their budgets, both to make a public statement of their priorities and to generate a little momentum going into the legislative session. Even a highly popular governor can't wait until an election year to start running, and when polls show your personal popularity ranking somewhere between sinkholes and citrus canker, everything you do gets examined for its political implications. ...